Composite materials are materials made from two or more constituent materials, with different physical or chemical properties, that when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. Combining the two or more constituent materials can result in a composite material that is stronger, lighter, or less expensive when compared to traditional materials. Such composite materials can be used to form aircraft parts, automotive parts, marine parts, consumer electronic parts, and other products where a lightweight yet strong material is desired.
Composite materials can be formed from the combination of a thermoplastic material and an inorganic material, such as fiberglass, by several different methods, such as by alternating layers of a fiberglass yarn fabric and a thermoplastic yarn fabric, weaving separate yarns of fiberglass and thermoplastic together in a fabric, by commingling a fiberglass yarn and a thermoplastic yarn to form a single yarn, or by dipping a fiberglass fabric in a solvent a containing a thermoplastic polymer. However, such methods, such as commingling, often result in poor flow and fiber wet out, which results in a composite that has excessive voids. This can lead to difficulty in filling air voids when the composite is formed, resulting in a weakened composite, as fiber wetout is important for obtaining good load transfer from the thermoplastic resin to the reinforcing fiberglass. Further, the use of solvents can lead to environmental and health concerns. As such, a need exists for a composite that exhibits improved properties compared to currently available composites and that can be formed with better flow and fiber wet out. A need also exists for a method for forming a composite that does not utilize a solvent based application system to alleviate environmental and health concerns.